By: J. Daniel Pearson
Malaki Baker scored a team-high 19 points and St. Cloud used a frantic, stifling defense to shut down Lake Nona, 86-56, in a Class 7A, District 6 semifinal game on Wednesday night.
With the win, the Bulldogs extend their school record for victories to 23 (23-3) and will now face arch-rival Harmony for the district title. The Longhorns (18-8) reached the finals with a 54-47 win over Cypress Creek. Tipoff is at St. Cloud High Friday night at 7 p.m.
While Baker was the leading scorer, he was one of just several offensive stars for St. Cloud, as the Bulldogs had five players in double figures – including 15 from Josiah Cotto and 11 each from Alex Springs and Ryan Rodriguez. Julian Fox had 10 off the bench and Lenuel Narvaez just missed joining the parade of double figure scorers as he added nine in limited playing time.
Although it was the most points scored by St. Cloud this season, it was the Bulldog defense that really made the difference in the game. St. Cloud came out in a frantic press, forced the Lions to miss their first nine shots and jumped out to a quick 12-0 lead.
Lake Nona did not record their first basket until 3:04 in the first half. More encouraging for second-year head coach Tommy Billiteri was the play of his bench. Substituting all five starters for the final three minutes of the first quarter, his backups held their own and outscored the Lions, 9-6 down the stretch as St. Cloud build a 21-9 lead.
Baker, who was held to two points in the first period, exploded for eight second quarter points as St. Cloud again put together a 21-point stanza to double-up on the Lions at the half – 42-21.
Lake Nona, behind the inspired play of Kyami Dixon, tried to stay in the game in the third period. Dixon, who scored all 12 of Lake Nona’s second quarter points, added 12 in the third period. With star Alex Springs on the bench with four fouls, Lake Nona managed to whittle the deficit down to 12 at one point. But two thunderous dunks by Baker and a seven-point quarter by Josiah Cotto bumped the lead back to 18 after three, 58-40.
The big lead allowed Billiteri to keep his starters on the bench for most of the fourth quarter. Still the reserves continued to play well. Narvaez, a 6-8, sophomore center, scored all nine of his points in the final stanza; while Fox and Elias Torres added four each.
It’s the development of that second unit that Billiteri believes can push the Dogs to the next level. “We have some really talented young kids in our program,” the second-year coach said. “It has taken a while for them to understand our system and how we do things but they have adapted. I believe our depth is as good as any team in the area and that should help us as we move forward in the post-season.”
Dixon had a huge game with 33 points for the Lions, who saw their season end with a 10-14 record.
“One of our three goals was to win our first district championship and we are going to have to go through Harmony to get it,” Billiteri said. “On paper we may have a slight edge in talent, but they already beat us one time this season and Duke (Harmony coach Duke Leonardo) always has that team ready to play. It’s a rivalry game on top of it, so we cannot take them lightly in any way, shape or form.”
St. Cloud beat Harmony earlier in the season, 61-52, at home; but lost a 40-37 rematch on the road on January 10.
In other county action on Wednesday, Gateway (11-11) most likely saw its season come to an end with a 69-56 loss to Pine Ridge in the Class 5A, District 7 Tournament; while Liberty (16-4) advances to the 4A, District 7 championship game with a 77-48 win over Teneroc. The Chargers will host Bishop Moore in Friday’s title game. Meanwhile Osceola (22-3) will host Poinciana (16-9) in the Class 7A, District 7 title game Thursday night at 7 p.m.
In girls’ basketball, Gateway (19-5) thrashed Seabreeze, 86-19, and will host Jones in a 5A, District 7 quarterfinal Thursday night; while top-seeded St. Cloud (16-8) hosts Cypress Creek and second-seeded Harmony (12-8) hosts Tohopekaliga (15-5) in the Class 7A, District 6 semifinals, also on Thursday night.
